This invention is directed toward an apparatus for lifting and transporting dead animals and more particularly an apparatus for removing a carcass in a hog confinement building.
Removing an animal carcass from a building presents many problems. Because of the size and weight of some animals, manually removing the carcass is difficult if not impossible. Further, because of the long and narrow structure of many hog confinement buildings it is difficult to maneuver a transporting device into the pen for removal of the carcass. Also, other live animals in the pen may interfere and need to be removed prior to removing the carcass with the transporting device. Therefore, a need exists for a simple system to transport a carcass to a depository station that is capable of lifting heavy animals without interfering with other animals in the pen.
Thus an objective of the invention is to provide an apparatus for removing a carcass that is simple to manufacture and simple to operate.
Another objective of the invention is to provide an apparatus for removing a carcass that is capable of lifting and moving heavy animals.
The invention is a system for removing dead animals from a building having a ceiling structure, a plurality of parallel elongated pens, and a dead animal depository station. The system includes a track that extends horizontally over the pens and is suspended from the ceiling structure. A carriage assembly is mounted on the track for travel along the track. Rotatably secured to the carriage assembly about a vertical axis is a winch apparatus that extends downwardly from the carriage. Secured to the winch is a flexible means that moves vertically with respect to the winch which is attached to dead animals for raising the animal above the pen and lowering the animal to the dead animal depository.